Ice Cream 101
Ice Cream 101
In Ice Cream 101 I show you 3 types of frozen desserts for you to master.
Ice cream has to be my favourite food, but I know it can be intimidating to make. So I wanted to share some different frozen treat options depending on your preferences and skill set. Once you build your confidence, you can try mixing them up with different flavors!
Strawberry Sorbet
This fruit sorbet is the most refreshing frozen dessert, and it’s dairy free! The fresh strawberries give the sorbet such a vibrant colour (I’d go for these over frozen fruit), and the lime adds a punch to the flavour. Perfect for a spring / summer’s day, and a great palate cleanser!
Chocolate Parfait
This chocolate parfait recipe is sort of a cheats ice cream with no ice cream machine required! It has a heavier mouthfeel because of the egg yolks, but they make it super smooth and a really decadent frozen dessert. Try freezing it in an ice cream mould and dipping it in a chocolate glaze.
Vanilla Bean Italian Ice Cream
This is your more classic gelato recipe. It requires a few specialist ingredients but they make such a difference to the taste and texture, they’re worth it I promise! The vanilla flavour really sings, and it’s beautifully smooth and light. Perfect by itself, in a soft ice cream sandwich, or for an ice cream cake!
Follow my video and step-by-step recipes to make these three different types of frozen desserts.
Want more 101 videos? Check out my Chocolate Mousse 101 and Cheesecake 101 videos!
Ingredients
Method
In a saucepan over a medium heat, make a sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water, then set it to one side to cool.
In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add the strawberries, salt and lime zest and cook for 5-10 minutes until the strawberries have broken down.
Add the mixture to a blender with the lime juice and sugar syrup. Blend briefly, then chill for 6 hours/overnight.
Once chilled, churn the mixture in an ice cream machine, then put into a container. Freeze for another hour or so before serving.
In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add the egg yolks, salt and sugar and whisk until it hits 60C.
In a separate bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Once melted, add a pinch of salt then slowly pour the egg yolk mixture over the top, whisking to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to a medium soft peak, then fold it into the chocolate mixture in 3 parts.
Pour it into a container and freeze for 4-6 hours.
In a bowl, whisk the sugar and locust bean gum together.
In a saucepan over a medium heat, heat the milk, cream, glucose, honey, vanilla and milk powder to 45C, then add the sugar mixture.
Continue to whisk the mixture until it reaches 85C, then pour it into a bowl and blend with a hand blender for 1 minute.
Place the bowl into a bowl or sink with water and lots of ice. Stir and cool as close to 4C as possible.
Cover the surface of the mixture with cling film and chill overnight. Blend it again with a hand blender the next day, then churn it in your ice cream machine.
You can serve it straight away but it will be a little soft, so freeze it in a container for a little longer if you prefer a harder texture. Keep in mind that fresh ice cream will deteriorate in texture/taste the longer you leave it, so it’s always best eaten within 6 hours.
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan over a medium heat, make a sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water, then set it to one side to cool.
In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add the strawberries, salt and lime zest and cook for 5-10 minutes until the strawberries have broken down.
Add the mixture to a blender with the lime juice and sugar syrup. Blend briefly, then chill for 6 hours/overnight.
Once chilled, churn the mixture in an ice cream machine, then put into a container. Freeze for another hour or so before serving.
In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add the egg yolks, salt and sugar and whisk until it hits 60C.
In a separate bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Once melted, add a pinch of salt then slowly pour the egg yolk mixture over the top, whisking to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to a medium soft peak, then fold it into the chocolate mixture in 3 parts.
Pour it into a container and freeze for 4-6 hours.
In a bowl, whisk the sugar and locust bean gum together.
In a saucepan over a medium heat, heat the milk, cream, glucose, honey, vanilla and milk powder to 45C, then add the sugar mixture.
Continue to whisk the mixture until it reaches 85C, then pour it into a bowl and blend with a hand blender for 1 minute.
Place the bowl into a bowl or sink with water and lots of ice. Stir and cool as close to 4C as possible.
Cover the surface of the mixture with cling film and chill overnight. Blend it again with a hand blender the next day, then churn it in your ice cream machine.
You can serve it straight away but it will be a little soft, so freeze it in a container for a little longer if you prefer a harder texture. Keep in mind that fresh ice cream will deteriorate in texture/taste the longer you leave it, so it’s always best eaten within 6 hours.
Hei
What happened if I dont used Locus? Thanks
That is the stabiliser to ensure the ice cream sets well and prevents a lot of ice crystalisation
Thank you sir
Hi Matt.
My name is Yeji Kim from Korea. I’ve been living in Melbourne, Australia studying Patisserie. I’m entering in Dessert Competition in July and I’m thinking to use your Parfait recipe for the frozen dessert. I hope you don’t mind it! The thing is I have to make 5 identical desserts per each menu, I was wondering if I could use the mold and take them out easily. Also, it should be finished in 4 hours. Could you give me some advice when you can? That would mean a lot to me!
Hi! Yes the parfait should freeze in a blast chiller in that time. It will freeze perfectly in a silicon mold yes 🙂
Thank you so much for answering me!! It means a lot to me 😊
Hi Matt!
I apologise in advance, i know you must have a lot of questions about Locust Bean Gum, but can xanthan gum be used as a substitute? Or any other stabilizer?
Hi Amy! Yes you can use Xantham – i haven’t tried it personally but it looks like it should work. Just see if the texture is too gummy, then just reduce the quantity slighty next time!
Hi Matt. Just wondering why you’re not using a stabilizer (like guar gum) in your sorbet? And also wondering why you’re not replacing some of the regular sugar with fructose to lower the freezing point?
This is just a simple recipe so nothing complicated for these ones 🙂
Thanks for answering, Matt. You’re right, it’s a simple recipe, but guar gum and fructose are simple ingredients as well. And both are easy to obtain too. I’m just an amateur, churning ice cream for my family of 4, but I’ve experienced a huge improvement of the quality by just adding 3 things to my ingredient stock. The two above and locust bean gum, for warm applications. Love all your recipes, btw. 😉
Yes definitely makes a huge difference – but yes this was supposed to be very accessible. I have more complex ones in my book you should try!